View-finder.



No. 878,324. PATENTED FEB. 4,-1908.

H. J. WINTER.

VIEW FINDER. APPLICATION FILED 00122. 1907.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY J. WINTER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO EASTMAN KODAK 00.,OF

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VIEW-FINDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1908.

Application filed October 2. 1907- Serial No. 395.491.

and useful Improvements in View-Finders,

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexactdescription of the same, reference being had. to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the specification, and to thereference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to view finders such as are employed inconnection with photographic cameras and similar in-- struments andapparatus, for the purpose of ascertaining the direction of the focusthereof or to other ends and it has for its object to provide a cheapand efficient means for so mounting the finder upon its support as torender it available for use when the instrument to which it is attachedis operated in different relative positions.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvementsand combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the endof the specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a camera showing alsoin front elevation a finder attached thereto and embodyingnay-improvements. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the finder adapted toanother position of the camera and Fig. 3 is a detail perspective viewshowing collectively, the finder box and the supporting plate upon whichit rests.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate similarparts.

As a particular instance of the use of my improvements the inventionisillustrated in the drawings embodied in a finder attached to aphotographic camera of the type suited to making exposures upon films orplates of oblong shape in order that the dimensions of the negative willbe greater in one direction than in the other to suit the correspondingextent of the image so that a larger reproduction of an object ofconsiderable perpendicular height or horizontal breadth may be made upona given area than would be otherwise possible all as is well known inthe art. For the purposes in hand it will therefore be considered thatthe camera is to be held in the position shown in Fig. 1 to produce anegative of maximum vertical extent and in the position shown in Fig. 2for one of maximum horizontal extent.

The camera itself may be of any desired form the one shown comprisinggenerally a box or body 1 bellows'2 and lens front 3 carrying the lens4. On one side of the lens front, and preferably at one corner thereofis secured a plate 5 as by screws 6 passing through apertures 7 in thelate. The latter is split transversely at di 'erent points and theseparated portions struck up to form arms 8, the nature of thematerialof the plate being suchas to render them yielding or resilient. Theirouter ends are preferably formed over into eyes or otherwise fitted toconstitute journal bearings 9.

The finder itself comprises preferably a box 10 having the usualobjective and field lenses 11 and 11 Adjacent the corresponding lowercorners of the box and on the front and rear faces thereof are providedpivotal projections 11 forming trunnions which enter and are supportedin the bearings 9 at the ends of the arms bringing one face 12, thelower face of the box, in contact with the plate 5 as shown in Fig. 1which may be as sumed to be the normal position of the parts. The arms 8are normally under tension holding the finder pressed against thesupporting plate. The pivots 11 are, however, arranged nearer to theunder face 12 and a lateral face 13 than to the meeting edge 14 of saidfaces so that when it is desired to use the finder with the camera inthe position shown in Fig. 2 the former is rotated about the pivots 11in the direction of the face 13 until the latter is in contact with thesupporting plate 5. During the rotation of the box in this direction itspivot will be raised against the yielding tension of the spring arms, byreason of the contact of the more distant edge 14 with the plate, andlowered again. It will thus be seen that the said edge 14 retains thefinder securely with either of the contact faces 12 or 18 adjacent tothe support, as a change in its position can be made only against thetension of the said arms upon which the bearings are arranged.

Besides forming a cheap and simple means for constructing the yieldingbearing the portion of the member 5 intermediate of the arms extendsbeneath the finder box and also acts as a wear plate for the slidingengagement of the edge 14.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a view finder, the combination with a support provided withyielding bearings, of a finder box, pivoted in said bearings having twocontact faces adapted to rest alternately against the face of thesupport and provided with a portion engaging the latter as the box isrotated and arranged a greater distance from the pivot than either ofsaid faces.

2. In a view finder, the combination with a support, of a pair ofresilient arms carried thereby and a finder box pivoted to said armshaving two contact faces adapted to rest alternately against the face ofthe support and provided with a portion engaging the latter as the boxis rotated and arranged a greater distance from the pivot than either ofsaid faces.

3. In a view finder, the combination with a supporting plate of elasticmaterial having integral portions struck up therefrom to form resilientarms, of a finder box pivoted to said arms having two contact facesadapted to rest alternately against the face of the support and providedwith a portion engaging the latter as the box is rotated and arranged agreater distance from the pivot than either of said faces.

4. The combination with a finder box, and pivots at opposite endsthereof, of a plate underlying said box and spring arms formedintegrally with the ends of the plate and forming bearings for saidpivots.

HENRY J. WINTER.

Witnesses:

J. A. ROBERTSON, F. M. WVARN.

